Magical Christmas
by AlexandraBurniese
Summary: New Title. Jacob's POV after the end of Breaking Dawn. What is his life as well as the rest of the character's lives like? Usual pairings, M for content/language/adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Usual disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer. Here is a story that popped into my head about what life would be like for Jacob after the end of Breaking Dawn. Enjoy!**

I flipped through the channels quickly, so quickly that there was no way my eyes could have focused on the TV Guide on the screen. Finally I just shut the damn TV off and threw the remote control across the room. It landed with a thud on the other side of the sectional couch I was sitting on. I hated nights like these. Nights that made me worry, exasperated, frustrated, and lonely.

I got up and tumbled into the kitchen, opened the fridge and scanned the contents. Maybe I should eat some dinner. With Nessie hanging out so much over here, at least I had some real food. I was always up for eating, but never really bothered to stock the kitchen, until she started wanting to hang out with me more. It surprised me at first, since I was always over at the Cullen's place, that she wasn't getting sick and tired of me always hanging around. But I didn't dwell on that for long, I was too happy to have her with me, anytime of day or night. She was my world.

Since I was never home much, there wasn't usually a lot to choose from in my tiny condo. Lately, Ness and I had been out grocery shopping when she was over. That was fun, because she'd make a game of it. She'd touch my face and show me what she was craving to eat, and then we'd both bolt through the crowded grocery store to find that item. She usually beat me, but I didn't care. I just loved watching her squeal with delight, seeing her laugh, and playing along. But in the meantime, I'd stockpile the shopping cart with enough groceries to last four people through three meals a day for a month. Ness wasn't too big on vegetables, but she'd eat salads and she loved fruit. We'd buy pastas and chicken, fruits and salad fixings, ice cream for dessert and ingredients for her to bake cookies. Somewhere in there were her mother's genes for cooking, and man, could she cook. Recently, she seemed to enjoy coming over to my place and cooking up some food for me. I mean, I knew how to get by, I could fend for myself. But then again, most of the food I bought was for her anyway. Good thing she came over enough to get some use out of it. So I didn't gripe about her cooking for me too much, since she seemed to enjoy it, and I wasn't about to balk about anything that made her happy.

I huffed and slammed the fridge door again. Eating was the last thing on my mind, and looking at all the food made me think of her anyway. I glanced at the clock. 10:46. I wondered if she was home yet? Should I call over to Bella and make sure everything was okay?

Get a grip, I told myself. As worried as I was, there was no point in calling and bothering Bella and Edward. Those two lovebirds were probably cuddled in bed, watching or movie, or something. In the past seven years, they seemed as much in love as they had at their wedding. I shuddered, thinking of my mistakes that night. I was just thankful, every single day of my existence that everything had eventually worked out, for everyone involved. The months from which Edward came back and seemingly stole Bella away from me again until the birth of Ness were the darkest months of my life. I really saw no way that I could ever be happy again. I mean, the girl I loved had run back into the arms of literally my worst enemy, she had accepted his marriage proposal, and then they come back from a month long honeymoon and she's pregnant with a baby that was already stronger than her and breaking her body from the inside out. I felt for sure that Bella was going to die right in front of me, and then my life would be over too. She would die, I would kill her bloodsucker of a husband, and then find someway to end my own life. Nothing would have been worth living without Bella, especially knowing every day that went on, that she died of what I'd hated the most.

Oh, how absolutely everything had changed.

I felt bad for even thinking the word _bloodsucker_ as I thought back to Edward and how close he and I had become. In the earlier years, I found myself wishing I could read his thoughts for just a moment, to see if he really was genuine in his feelings for me. I could no longer hate him as I had once Ness was born, but I had wondered if he felt the same. He was her father and Nessie was clearly half Edward. She looked just like him when she'd roll her eyes and every so often when she wasn't getting her way, her jaw would tighten up and she'd lift her chin a little and I knew that was something she got from him. Except when she made those faces, my heart melted.

It took me awhile to get used to the fact that Edward was really okay with having me around. It sure went a lot easier than I'd anticipated. I thought I would drive him crazy, hanging out with them all the time. Not that it would have changed a thing for me, I'd still have found a way to be with Ness. But I was convinced he'd hate me even more since I'd imprinted on his daughter. First, I was the guy that kept hanging around at inopportune times because I was still in love with his girlfriend, and then wife. Then Ness comes along and I imprint on her. I would be like the guy he could never get rid of! But surprisingly, he took it in stride. We were on the same team then. He wanted nothing but happiness and safety for Ness, and I wanted the exact same thing. I think a large part of it also had to do with the fact that he could see my thoughts and know that Bella was just a friend to me, once again. I would never again be in love with Bella for as long as I lived. Their daughter had my heart.

As for Bella, what can I say? Our friendship remained the same that it's always been, and even better, I think, since the turmoil is out of the way. Edward and I got along, I didn't disown her for becoming a vamp, and I loved her daughter more than anything else in the world. How could it get better than that?

I looked at the clock again. 11:02. Damn it. It's not like Ness would call me and check in or anything. I mean she lived with her parents and abided by their rules. But I couldn't help but be uptight as the time ticked by. I needed a distraction, something to clear my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

I sat down at my desk in the living room and powered up my laptop. I'd check my emails and reply to those, then maybe start on the outline of the next chapter I'd be writing. Who would have thought that I'd get into writing and become an author? I shook my head at the thought. If I had a million dollars to bet on how my life would have turned out eight years ago, I would have bet all wrong. I would have bet all of that million dollars towards me becoming a washed up reclusive alcoholic, but never an aspiring and successful author of supernatural novels who was desperately in love with a girl that was just a baby seven years ago.

Once I logged into my email, I found I had a lot of unanswered messages. One from Quil, with pictures from Claire's latest escapades with her Halloween party at school, and then Thanksgiving with her family, including Sam and Emily. Claire really was growing up fast, such a pretty girl. She'd be ten soon. Holy shit, how time flew.

Sam and Emily sent me and email with the latest ultrasound picture of their third child. I swear, those two were going to be raising children forever if they didn't knock it off. The baby was due in just a few weeks, right before Christmas. I knew Sam was hoping for another girl, Emily had said that she'd be up for either. Sam Jr. was doing a good job at holding down the fort and helping mom with little Sara while Sam worked during the day, and I knew Emily would have her hands full either way with the new baby. She was a natural at mothering though, and Sam's eyes did nothing but light up when he looked at his wife and children.

Lucky bastard. He really was living the life I dreamed of. I couldn't help but be a little jealous.

The last email was from Bella, reminding me about Christmas Eve at the Cullen's. Everyone would be there, including Charlie and Sue, who had married a few years back. Seth was going to make it home from university for the holidays, and Leah would be there, too. Lucky kids, those two. Their mom was great and Charlie took the whole step dad thing well. He was more like a friend than a father to them. He knew he could never fill Harry's shoes, and so he didn't try. Seth had already completed his bachelor's in history and was going for his master's. After he had passed away, Sue found out that Harry had set up large college accounts for each of the kids, but Seth had still been able to get scholarships up the wahoo. He could probably go for two masters fully paid if he really wanted to.

Leah had surprised us all when she told her mom that she wanted to enroll in counseling a few months after the showdown with the Volturi. I think she really got to a point when she was tired of the anger and the pain eating her up. She still goes once a month, for her check-ups, as she calls them, but I'm not sure if it's necessary. The girl did a complete 180 from where she used to be. Leah is married now and had gone to nursing school because she decided she wanted to help people. She's now one of Carlisle's ER nurses at the hospital and that's where she met her husband, David, who was the only male nurse on staff and had always felt like the odd man out. Leah's new found confidence and compassion had moved her to talk to David and ask him out for coffee. He happily agreed and things escalated from there. They were married within a year. They had a little trouble at first because their schedules at the hospital were so opposite that they hardly saw each other, but Carlisle was able to help out with that, and now they work the same 12 hour shifts four days a week.

Unfortunately, as Leah had always suspected, her shape shifting had messed with her female anatomy, and after undergoing extensive testing at both UCLA and Stanford, she found she was not able to conceive a child. I thought this would absolutely crush her, and she did sink into a funk for a while after the news was confirmed. Carlisle dove into research to try and see if he could come up with anything to help her, but within a couple of months, Leah and David announced they had decided to adopt. As Leah put it to me, she'd rather get the chance to just be a mom to someone, choosing not to worry about it being biologically hers. Somehow, having no parental experience myself, I got that. She loved David with her whole heart, she loved her family with her whole heart, but she still had room to give more love, to a little person she could call her own. So now, Leah and David are on the waiting lists of several adoption agencies, trying to find their own perfect little angel.

I couldn't help but think back to the day when Leah called up Bella and asked to talk to her. Bella may be a vampire now, but there's still enough of the old Bella in her that she became frightened and skeptical. She had witnessed the changes in Leah as much as all of us, but Leah never really had let up around her, even though we all saw each other most days. Leah had fallen in love with Nessie as much as the rest of us, but knew that she'd have to let her guard down around Bella eventually too. Edward stayed out of it, which I thought was cool. He knew Leah's thoughts about talking to Bella and trying to make amends with her, but he figured Leah would get around to it when she was ready.

Bella met up with Leah at a coffee shop in town on the day of their big talk. I think Bella suggested that, hoping that talking in a more neutral environment might help things to go easier. Leah told Bella about how she resented her for hurting me so badly, how she felt like Bella would string me along only to break my heart a little later on. But with Bella's marriage to Edward being a sure thing and my imprinting on Ness, Leah had come to see for herself that it wasn't Bella I wanted anymore, at least not in the sense that she'd be more than a friend. Bella apparently was so happy at them making amends that she started her tearless sobbing. I mean, they were stepsisters after all; it was nice that they were able to finally get past all of the bad stuff. Leah had had a lot of things to work through with herself and working things out with Bella seemed to be the final step towards her recovery. As long as I've known Leah, I've never seen her happier than she is now. I can only imagine how joyful she'll be when she finally becomes a mom.

Just then, an instant message popped up on my computer screen, which broke my train of daydreaming. It was from Quil.

"_Hey man, how's things? Did you get the pics I sent you?"_

I began typing back to him.

"Hey Quil, what's up? Yeah thanks for sending those along. Claire is getting so big! What have you been up to?"

"_Not much man, just hanging out. I took Claire to the bookstore to see one of her favorite author's for a book reading earlier tonight. That girl can go through more books that most people, I'll tell you that. Good thing I decided to go to college so that I could keep up with her! So what's cracking for you this Friday night?"_

I hesitated. Should I tell Quil what was bothering me? He'd pick up on it the next time I phased anyway; I might as well get out with it.

"Not much, just hanging out here at home. I thought I'd log in and check my emails then start outlining for the next chapter. You gonna be available to proof it for me when it's done?" Quil was one of my biggest fans, and I liked having someone to bounce ideas off of. Whenever I completed a chapter for one of my novels, I'd email to him and get his feedback.

"_Of course, I always am! So where's Ness tonight?"_

He just had to bring that up, didn't he?

"She's out with this kid from school again, Keith or Kevin or whatever his name is. He picked her up for dinner and then they were hitting up some party. It's like their fourth date now. I don't like it."

It took a few moments for Quil's reply to come through.

"_Of course you don't Jake. But what can you do? You're head over heels for the girl and she's still basically a kid. She's trying to fit in, she's trying to feel normal, and she's in high school and that's what high school kids do. You and I both knew it wasn't going to be easy imprinting on little babies, because we'd have to watch them go through the process of dating these losers, when we knew that we'd be the right ones for them all along. But it's still the right thing to do, for their sake, until they decide the capacity at which they want us in their lives."_

I thought about that for a few minutes. Of course, I knew Quil was right. Nessie may never fall in love with me, just like Claire may never fall in love with Quil. Regardless, we would both be there for each of them however they'd want us to be. Claire thinks of Quil as her big brother and buddy, but when she gets to be Ness's age, and starts becoming interested in other guys, who knows if her eyes would open and look at Quil in _that_ light. Only time would tell.

This also depressed me a little further, because I thought back to Nessie. Would she ever fall in love with me? For the past few months, I'd been wishing I had a way to find out. Even if it wasn't right away, at least I would know that someday we would be together. I really had to control my thoughts about this around the Cullens, though. This really wasn't something I wanted to talk about with Bella and Edward, at least not yet. Of course, they knew how the whole imprinting thing worked, and I'm sure they'd pieced together that one of these days I may just fall in love with their daughter. What they didn't know is that had already happened. I can't decide if Edward would pull me aside to talk to me about this if he had picked up on the fact that I'm in love with Ness. Most of the time Edward still seems to want to let things play out on their own, regardless of his mind reading. I respected that about him.

And the one person in the family I'd really love to consult about all of this, off the record of course, would be Alice. Now there's a crystal ball when you need one. But as we'd tested many, many times before, Alice can't see anything for either Ness or me. We'd all been hoping that her ability would open up to us one of these days, but so far, no dice.

"_Hey Jake, I know I gave you a lot to think about, so I'll let you go. Try not to worry about things too much, and remember I'm in the same boat as you. I'll talk to you soon buddy."_

Whoa. For a minute there, I'd completely forgotten about Quil.


	3. Chapter 3

I sighed and closed out the instant message screen. I began to feel the slightest bit tired, but I knew I wasn't sleepy. Usually I was up until 2 am most nights, working on a chapter, or watching a movie or something. I didn't need a lot of sleep these days. I think all those days of running patrol in my wolf form for hours on end conditioned my body to not need much sleep. Even with going to bed at around 2 am, I still woke up wide awake before 7 most mornings. The beauty of working for yourself is that you get to set your own schedule.

I went back to Bella's email and re-read it. Christmas at the Cullens. It should be a fun time. It sort of began a tradition Ness's second Christmas, when the Cullens decided to throw a huge Christmas party and invite all of their friends and family. Alice of course went all out decorating, they had food brought in from Port Angeles, and got a huge Christmas tree that graced their living room near Edward's piano. The festivities went well into the wee hours of the morning and everyone seemed a little sad to leave such a great party. Thus began the tradition, and the Cullens one-upped themselves each year by throwing a party that was even better than the previous year's.

My eyes scanned over her email. Everyone would be there. Did I need to ask who _everyone_ was? The list keeps changing over the years.

Of course there would be Charlie and Sue, Seth, Leah and David. All of the Cullens. Tanya's family in Denali had made it down the four previous years. Kate had told me a few years back that they hadn't ever celebrated Christmas, but these parties were so great that they had no problem changing that. Garrett was still with Kate and Tanya had found a mate too, named Lucas, who had stumbled upon them as he was trying to move north to keep out of the sun. He even had the same reddish blonde hair as her. Alice offered to throw a wedding for Kate and Garrett the year that Ness turned three, and we all know that Alice can do a wedding. It was a great time, even with all the vampire stink in the air.

The rest of the party-goers would probably consist of Charlie's fellow officers at the department and their families, who had come to know and like the Cullens; my dad; and my sister Rachel and Paul, who had married several years ago and had two kids of their own, Michael and Savannah. Billy, Rachel and Paul all knew that the Cullens were vampires and had come to accept it as well. It's hard to discriminate when the treaty has been revised, there's not going to be any biting going on, and you're a hybrid creature yourself.

Sam and Emily and the kids would join us, I'm sure, although Emily might be a very pregnant lady by the party, if she hadn't delivered yet. Her due date was coming up soon.

And then there'd be Embry with his wife Amy. He had met her at his accounting firm in Seattle and his life changed completely. He'd just about given up on imprinting on anyone when BAM! It happened, and he imprinted on his new receptionist. They since have been trying to conceive a child. And of course there's Jared and Kim. Those two crack me up. They married the year after Bella and Edward and everyone thought they were crazy, since they were so young. Kim's dad was so mad that he didn't even show up to the wedding. That broke her heart, but she knew Jared was for her. They got everything worked out eventually. They live in Tacoma now, but try to get up here as much as they can. Jared got into photography and actually is contracted by many magazines for photo shoots, so he and Kim get to travel the world. They are thinking of starting a family soon, but want to wait until the traveling slows down. Actually, I think its more Kim that wants that. Jared sees no problem with just bringing the baby along and taking the show on the road. They don't argue like most couples do, but they're so in love that their arguments lead to make ups much faster than normal. As I said, they crack me up.

And to round out the group would be Quil and Claire, who loved playing with Sam and Emily's kids as well as my niece and nephew.

Just then I heard a knock at the door. Who would be here at this hour? Before I could even get up from my desk chair, another knock. I crossed the room quickly and flung open the door without even looking through the peep hole.

There stood my gorgeous Nessie, crying. Her makeup was running down her cheeks and her hair was disheveled. She'd never looked more upset… or more beautiful.

"Ness!" I reached out and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Oh Jake!" She cried and wrapped her arms around me. She started sobbing into my shoulders. That barely muffled her cries.

"Nessie what's wrong!? What happened?" I continued holding her as I pulled her into my condo and shut and locked the door behind us.

"Jake I… oh Jake!" She cried again. I sat her on the couch and just held her, rocking at a slow pace. After a few minutes she seemed to calm down.

"Ness," I said softly. "What's going on?"

"Well, I… I was out with Kevin, from school…" her words came out sounding like a question. "And we had dinner and then we went to this party… and it got a little wild. I… uh…"she trailed off.

"Ness, you can tell me anything. You know that," I told her.

"I know, I know, and that's just the problem. That's why I came here and didn't go home…" she started crying again before she could finish.

"Nessie, I know your curfew is midnight on the weekends. We need to call your mom and dad. Then we can talk."

"Can you call them? Just tell them exactly what happened. That I showed up here and I'm upset and then ask if I can spend the night and I'll explain everything to them tomorrow," she pleaded.

Spend the night? Ness hadn't spent the night in a couple of years now. There were a few times when she was little when she'd fall asleep on my couch while we were watching TV or something. I'd call Bella and she said to just let her sleep and bring her home in the morning.

But this was different now. Nessie was a _woman_. Her sleeping on the couch in my oversized T-shirt was not the same as it used to be.

"Ness, maybe I should take you home when we're done here. I don't have any pajamas for you that you won't be swimming in… I mean you're parents will wonder what's up."

"No!" She surprised me by raising her voice a little. God, she looked just like Bella for a minute there.

"Ness-"

"No Jake, I'm not ready to go home. Can you please just call them? They'll be happier knowing that I'm safe and with you than if I don't go home at all!"

I looked at her beautiful face, and I knew she wouldn't be asking me this if it wasn't important. Nessie wasn't the type of person to be deceitful for something to benefit her in any way. Something was going on here, and if she needed me to help her, then I'd be here for her.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and hit the speed dial for Bella. Her sing-songy voice answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bells, it's me."

"Oh, Jacob, hi. What's going on?"

"Geez, can't a guy call his best friend to say hi?"

"Well, sure, but it's nearly midnight and you don't usually call this late. I know _I'm_ always up, but you might be winding down your day…" she trailed off.

"Okay, okay. Look Bells. Don't worry, okay? But Ness just showed up here and she's a little upset. I get the feeling she needs to talk about some stuff. I wanted you to know that she's okay and she's with me. I think it might be best for her to just crash here tonight. Is that cool with you?"

She hesitated. I heard a murmur on her end. Edward.

"Well sure Jake, we know she's alright with you. But is she okay? What happened?"

"I'm not sure Bella. We haven't gotten to that part. She just arrived and was upset, and when I looked at the time I knew I'd better call you before we did anything else. I wanted you to know she's alright."

"Should I bring some pajamas over for her or something? She doesn't even have a toothbrush…"

"It's cool Bells. I have some old sweats she can throw on and I've got a few spare toothbrushes in the linen closet. It's all good. I'll drop her off in the morning okay? We might grab a bite to eat first though. You know, humans gotta eat."

"Well neither of you are hardly full humans, but I'll give you that. Call me if anything changes or if she decides to come home tonight. I can run out to your place and grab her."

"Alright, I'll let you know. I'll call you in the morning. Night, Bells. Tell Edward hey."

"Sure thing Jake. Night."


	4. Chapter 4

Nessie's voice was barely above a whisper. She looked so gorgeous right then. Even in this awkward moment, I could appreciate that. Her eyes were full of concern, but still contained curiosity. I felt like I could read her mind by looking into her deep brown eyes. I could almost hear the wheels turning as she thought back over her life as it related to me. I knew what key points she would dwell on. I hadn't dated anyone since she'd been alive. Hell, the last girl I kissed had been Bella, not that she knew that. I may not be a runway model, but I wasn't bad looking. I probably could have found a nice girl to settle down with by now if I'd wanted to. The thing was, I didn't.

Ness knew about the whole imprinting thing. She knew that I was more than just her friend. Once she knew about it, we never really talked about it again. We just let our relationship evolve and develop into what it was today. Most of that was her doing. I had to be okay with her needing me around as much or as little as she wanted. Lately, she had been requesting to hang out with me a lot more than usual – this was different for us, because most of the time I'd just show up at the Cullen's place anyway. It thrilled me that she wanted to spend time with me too.

Now, I needed to try and concoct a story. She kept looking at me with those eyes, silently pleading with me to reveal the truth. I didn't think I'd have to deal with this for a long time. I thought I still had time to figure out to deal with this day, the day that Nessie would ask me if I was indeed in love with her. By then, I'd planned to have a well thought out speech, to tell her exactly what I needed to tell her. I would tell her that I loved her, with everything in my being. I would tell her that it was her choice how she wanted me, as a lover, a friend, or a brother. I would tell her, explain to her that she didn't need to feel obligated to me in any sort of way, that I would love her forever regardless of her choice.

At that moment, my brain turned to mush. My mind formed the words I needed to say as I silently rehearsed my speech. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't make my lips say the words. I loved Renesmee. I had grown to fall in love with her as she grew into a woman. She would always be the only one for me. These were not the right words to say to her. But I couldn't lie, I couldn't make myself believe in the words enough to say to her that it was okay if she didn't love me back. She would see through my pretenses immediately if I tried to lie. And so, I couldn't do it.

I had to tell her.

I cleared my throat. I took a deep breath. My eyes never left hers. She had begun biting her bottom lip a few moments back, probably worried about what was going to come out of my mouth. She looked just like Bella when she did that. I was afraid of Nessie's reaction. But I'd made my decision. There was no turning back now.

"Ness…" I began.


	5. Chapter 5

Nessie's voice was barely above a whisper. She looked so gorgeous right then. Even in this awkward moment, I could appreciate that. Her eyes were full of concern, but still contained curiosity. I felt like I could read her mind by looking into her deep brown eyes. I could almost hear the wheels turning as she thought back over her life as it related to me. I knew what key points she would dwell on. I hadn't dated anyone since she'd been alive. Hell, the last girl I kissed had been Bella, not that she knew that. I may not be a runway model, but I wasn't bad looking. I probably could have found a nice girl to settle down with by now if I'd wanted to. The thing was, I didn't.

Ness knew about the whole imprinting thing. She knew that I was more than just her friend. Once she knew about it, we never really talked about it again. We just let our relationship evolve and develop into what it was today. Most of that was her doing. I had to be okay with her needing me around as much or as little as she wanted. Lately, she had been requesting to hang out with me a lot more than usual – this was different for us, because most of the time I'd just show up at the Cullen's place anyway. It thrilled me that she wanted to spend time with me too.

Now, I needed to try and concoct a story. She kept looking at me with those eyes, silently pleading with me to reveal the truth. I didn't think I'd have to deal with this for a long time. I thought I still had time to figure out to deal with this day, the day that Nessie would ask me if I was indeed in love with her. By then, I'd planned to have a well thought out speech, to tell her exactly what I needed to tell her. I would tell her that I loved her, with everything in my being. I would tell her that it was her choice how she wanted me, as a lover, a friend, or a brother. I would tell her, explain to her that she didn't need to feel obligated to me in any sort of way, that I would love her forever regardless of her choice.

At that moment, my brain turned to mush. My mind formed the words I needed to say as I silently rehearsed my speech. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't make my lips say the words. I loved Renesmee. I had grown to fall in love with her as she grew into a woman. She would always be the only one for me. These were not the right words to say to her. But I couldn't lie, I couldn't make myself believe in the words enough to say to her that it was okay if she didn't love me back. She would see through my pretenses immediately if I tried to lie. And so, I couldn't do it.

I had to tell her.

I cleared my throat. I took a deep breath. My eyes never left hers. She had begun biting her bottom lip a few moments back, probably worried about what was going to come out of my mouth. I was more afraid of her reaction. But I'd made my decision. There was no turning back now.

"Ness…" I began.


	6. Chapter 6

And so I told her. I told her everything. I told her the story of the day I'd imprinted on her, when my heart was breaking because I thought Bella was dead. I told her the story of how, together, Edward and I had tried to save her. I told Ness how in that moment, when Bella's heart stopped beating, how I'd thought my life was over. Little did I know, it was just beginning.

I told her how much her mom and dad loved her, Bella especially, before she was even born. She laughed as I told her the story of me drop-kicking her Aunt Rose in order to save her and Bella's lives. And finally, I got to the part about walking down those stairs and feeling the pull. _Her_ pull. Her deep brown eyes studying me as she leaned over Rosalie's shoulder, pulling me in, sucking me in. How in that moment, my life both ended and began. The angry, heartbroken boy turned into a devotional man. All of the missing and scattered pieces of my life had snapped together in that very moment, because of her. I was alive again.

She said nothing as I told her these stories. To me, most of this seemed like it had just happened, I remembered it so clearly. But as I spoke, all of the emotions came flooding back to me. I remembered how beat down I was in the days before Ness's birth, trying to figure out how Bella could keep pleading with me to stay with her. I recalled the inundation of warmth as I laid eyes on Nessie for the first time. And that brought me up to the recent events, to the moment I'd realized I'd fallen in love with her.

It was a Sunday. Everyone was over at the Cullen's watching football. Ness was laying on the floor in front of the TV, her head in her hand as she propped herself up on her elbow. She giggled at the commercials and tried to pay attention to the game. I knew football wasn't really her thing.

Seth and I were trying to convince Edward to let us take the Vanquish out for a drive. I knew it hadn't been driven in awhile, and Edward had mentioned something about it needing to be run soon. When Ness heard this, she jumped up from the floor.

"I want to go with you guys!" She squealed.

It took Edward two seconds for him to look at her reaction and agree to let us take the car out. He couldn't refuse Renesmee, just like I couldn't. She had us all wrapped around her tiny fingers. He rummaged through a drawer and produced the keys, tossing them to me.

"Stay on the back roads. Not too conspicuous, you know? It's still light out," Edward instructed. Bella came up behind him and put her arms around his waist, peering over his shoulder. I could see her smiling and knew what she was thinking. _At least someone around here loves the cars enough to take them out for a drive_. Ness certainly didn't get her love of cars from her mother.

The three of us took turns driving. Ness went last. She had a huge smile on her face as she sped along the winding mountain roads, perfectly at ease in the sports car. I, on the other hand, couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was brilliant in her excitement; she glowed faintly from the sunlight pouring in the windows. She laughed and giggled and whooped and hollered as she expertly drove the car.

I could sort of hear Seth from the backseat, asking me something, but I wasn't paying attention. I was solely focused on the beautiful creature sitting inches away from me.

As we pulled back into the Cullen's garage and walked around to enter the house, Ness ran inside and I could hear her calling for Edward. Seth grabbed my shoulder just before we walked up the porch.

"Hey man, what was that all about? You were totally zoning out back there!" He accused.

"Yeah, well, sorry I was just enjoying the drive…" I tried to sound convincing.

"Jake, I think it's more than that. You've fallen for her, haven't you?" He said in a low aside.

I couldn't respond. Was he right? I thought back over the past few glorious months, of Ness and I being practically inseparable. Had I fallen for her and I just couldn't pinpoint it?

I looked back at Seth, and he had a smug smile on his face. He knew he was right.

"Well, she's grown up, man. She's not a little girl anymore. It's only natural. I mean, you knew things would take this course eventually." Seth made it sound so easy. Like everything would just work out on its own.

"Look Seth, all I know is that this is not the time to deal with this. We've got a house full of vampires in there and one of them can pick up on our thoughts the second he tunes in. So let's clear our minds and go enjoy some football."

I could barely sleep that night. I thought about Seth's words, trying to figure out when I had fallen in love with Nessie. I couldn't figure out the exact time or place. All I knew was that I had.

I snapped my head up and looked at her, bringing myself back to the present. I didn't realize that I had been speaking out loud. Nessie continued to watch me with cautious eyes. I had revealed much more to her than I would have thought possible. It goes with the grain though; one of the magical aspects of imprinting is that one's entire being shies away from anything that would make the product of an imprintation unhappy. Without thinking, I'd pretty much divulged my entire life story to Ness, by no choice of my own.

Ness had wrapped her knees up under her chin, deep in thought. She had her answers now. I was in love with her, and she knew it. There was no going back, no changing things. She knew where I stood.

She was quiet for a long time, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything either. I needed to see her reaction.

After a long while, she finally cleared her throat a tiny bit, and whispered: "Okay."

I just looked at her. "Okay what, Ness?" I asked her softly.

She didn't speak, and she didn't look at me.

Finally she whispered, "Okay, now I know."

The seconds ticked by. I could hear the clock above my mantel ticking, even. We sat there for several minutes, until she finally looked up to me.

"I think I'd like you to take me home now, Jake."

She didn't look angry, and she didn't look sad. Her face was practically expressionless.

"Ness, why don't you sleep here and I'll take you home in the morn—"

"No, Jake. Now, please." Her voice was quiet, but firm. She wouldn't be taking no for an answer.

Great. I had royally screwed things up now. She probably hated my sticking guts. She probably never wanted to see me again. I could feel the pain welling up inside me, threatening to take over. Rejection washed through me, pure and strong. She didn't feel the same way about me as I did about her. I never should have told her I was in love with her. It didn't do either of us any good! She probably would feel awkward around me for the rest of time, while I sat by and watched her life flash before me as she'd fall in love with someone, get married, have kids… I should just go jump off a bridge now, I should just end the years of heartache ahead that I will have caused both us. I wouldn't be able to stand it, I wouldn't be able to—

"Jake?" she asked quietly, interrupting my thoughts. "Jake can you take me home, please?"

I snapped out of the funk, as quickly as it had begun. "Of course, Ness."

I walked into my bedroom and grabbed a sweatshirt for her. Then I grabbed my keys and shoved my wallet in my back pocket. She was already waiting by the door, with her clothes neatly folded into a pile in her arms. She didn't look at me.

We walked into the hallway and I locked the door behind us. I put my hand on the small of her back as we trekked down the stairs and into the small parking garage to my truck. As soon as I unlocked the doors with my automatic remote, she swiftly walked over to the passenger door and quickly got in, not allowing me to get her door for her.

We didn't say anything on the ride home. I was worried my voice would break at any moment. I had so many things to say to her, to ask her, but I said nothing. I kept shooting glances at her from the corners of my eyes, but she looked straight ahead the entire time.

I pulled up at Bella and Edward's cottage and their porch lights were on. I could see them cuddling on the couch through the living room window in front of their small fireplace. I felt a small pang of jealousy at that moment. They had eternity to enjoy each other, and they knew their love was a sure thing. What I wouldn't give to have that kind of certainty.

Nessie opened up the passenger door and started to get out. She looked at me briefly and said, "Thank you for bringing me home, Jacob." She shut the door behind her and nearly ran into the house.

I cried the entire way home.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few weeks passed without much excitement. I'd only seen Ness a few times, when I'd been over Bella and Edward's place. She didn't want to really hang out with me by myself. She was polite to me when I was at their house or the Cullen's place, but she didn't really talk to me unless I talked to her. The days passed sadly, the nights too slowly. I was miserable, and nothing was going to change that. I wished more than anything that I could turn back the hands of time and not have divulged my pathetic story to Nessie.

Bella tried to intervene and find out more about what happened between Ness and I to drive us apart. She tried to talk separately to Renesmee and then me, but neither of us were really willing to give up the truth. I had to be very careful with my thoughts around Edward. I had no idea if he really knew what was up because I didn't know if Renesmee was being careful with her thoughts too. At any rate, he encouraged Bella to give us our space and that things would work out in time.

In the meantime, I visited my father, as well as Charlie and Sue. Leah called and invited me over for dinner one night, and I happily agreed. Sam, Emily and the kids had a Christmas Open House party, so I attended that. I tried to fill my days and hours with as much stuff as necessary. As a result, Quil was being bombarded with emails of finished chapters, and my agent and publisher were thoroughly impressed with my work as well as my speed to get it all done.

The week before Christmas, I emailed my agent and told her I wouldn't be submitting any new work until after the first of the year. Hell, I was self employed, I had money saved up, and my next novel was almost finished. I figured I could kick back and enjoy the holidays just like everyone else.

So I pulled my dusty little Christmas tree and the decorations out of storage, and made a list of Christmas gifts to buy. I was still going to the Christmas party at the Cullen's, no matter what. I considered them my family too, now. Nessie and I would have to work things out with time. Not spending as much time with her was driving me crazy. I had to have hope that things would get better.

Even though the Cullen's have always had a lot of money, the gifts they decided to give out to their guests at their annual party were usually small and meaningful. The rest of us had followed suit and decided to give gifts the same way. To us, it wasn't about quantity, but quality.

Within two days, I had all of my shopping done. Then I remembered I didn't have wrapping paper or bows lying around, so I headed back out to the store and picked up way too much wrapping supplies. Hey, I didn't know how much paper it would take to get things wrapped. Better safe than sorry.

All of these preparations were to keep myself occupied and distracted, but it had the opposite effect. I found myself thinking more and more about the smallest Christmas gift I'd ever bought. It had sat in my nightstand drawer for two years now, waiting for the right time to present it to its recipient. I hadn't looked at it in awhile, so I thought I'd allow myself one peek, even though I knew it would break my heart to do so. I went into my bedroom and found the small black velvet box, and took a deep breath before opening it. Inside, laid Renesmee Carlie Cullen's engagement ring. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. I'd worked with the jeweler to design it. It was white gold, with a princess cut diamond and small diagonal rows of diamonds around the band. It was exquisite, just like her. I could only dream of the day that I would present it to her.

I figured it couldn't hurt to put it in my pocket before heading over to the Cullen's party, just like I had last year. Hell, maybe some miracle would drop down from the sky and Renesmee would fall in love with me too. Then I could propose as I'd rehearsed a thousand times, and we'd live happily ever after.

I should be so lucky.


	8. Chapter 8

As I stood amidst the chaos that was my bedroom, trying to pick out my outfit for the Christmas party, I couldn't help but think how silly I was being. It wasn't like Ness would fall in love with me if I wore a blue tie over a red one. She was probably never going to fall in love with me, so I'd better just get the idea out of my head right now. Except, oh yeah, it's not going to happen. I'd always keep wishing, waiting in the wings, waiting for her, wishing for her, dreaming of her. She was and would always be the only for me.

Regardless, I had picked out a newer dark grey dress shirt to wear with my charcoal suit for the party. It was an outfit I felt sharp in; I'd worn it for a couple of interviews and for my appearance on Larry King Live. It was my manly version of a little black dress.

I had all the presents wrapped and loaded in my truck to go. Not like I was anxious for this party or anything. I couldn't wait to see Renesmee. My heart ached over my mistakes, but it hurt worse not being with her. I could only imagine how beautiful she would look tonight. Last year, she had worn a dark red dress with a black lace layer over it, and had her hair curled and pinned back off of her face. If I hadn't been so cautious of my movements and actions for the past, oh, seven years, I'd have probably grabbed her up and kissed her until I was blue in the face.

Sometimes, I had to shake my head and remind myself that I was an adult. My daydreams often had the aura of a 10 year old boy who thinks he can kiss the girl sitting next to him on the school bus just because he wants to. That's me, Jacob Black, 25 going on 10.

Before leaving the house, I pulled the small black box out of my pocket and opened it. I toyed and fingered the precious ring, thinking of all that it meant and all that it represented. I wish the ring would bottle up every feeling I had for Renesmee and that, someday, I could slip it on her finger for just a moment, so that she could feel all of the love and protection and adoration that I felt for her.

I sighed. Why was I torturing myself like this? It's not like anything major would change at the Christmas party to make me put the ring to use. But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to put it back in my bedside table. I slipped the ring back in the box and stuffed it in my pocket and focused on mentally preparing to wipe my mind clean. I mean, Edward and I had come a long way, don't get me wrong. But I still didn't want him reading through my thoughts on _this_ subject just yet.

On the drive over to the Cullen's, I turned on the radio and listened to the Christmas songs. I sang along with them, surprising myself that I knew most of the words to a lot of the songs. As I turned down the drive to their home, I was astonished at all of the twinkle lights. Looks like Alice put them to good use once more.

The house was well lit, with more lights out front surrounded my pots of poinsettias and topiaries. Through the front window, I could see the large and elaborately decorated Christmas tree, and people gathering in the living room. I heard music coming from inside and I picked up on laughter coming from upstairs and down. The party was already in full swing, although I was a little early.

I parked behind Charlie's police cruiser and opened the tailgate to start hauling in my stack of gifts. Just then I felt a light tap on my shoulder, and turned around to find Alice.

"Merry Christmas, Jacob! It's good to see you!" Alice squealed.

"Hey shorty, you too!" I replied as I embraced her for a hug. I couldn't help but be glad to see Alice. She was always so enthusiastic and friendly towards me.

"Need some help bringing these in? Oh, by the way, Jazz and I love our gift! You shouldn't have!"

"Sure, thanks. And you're welcome! I'm not even going to get frustrated. I'm used to you seeing what I've gotten you. How's the party so far, everyone here?"

"Almost. We're waiting on Leah and David. David had to work overtime, then he was going to run home, shower and change, and then he and Leah would be on their way over. So… things any better with you and Ness?"

I cast a sideways glance at Alice as we walked towards the front of the house carrying the gifts. Even without the mind reading ability, she was a perceptive little pixie.

"The same, just about. Mind telling me if you see anything coming of this?" I couldn't help but mock her. Alice had never been able to see Renesmee or myself through her visions. Due to some unknown glitch in her system, she was blind to us half-breeds.

I felt a sharp punch in my shoulder. "You know Jacob, maybe if you quit phasing long enough, I'd be able to see you since you'd eventually turn more human than animal. Have you ever thought that it's your own fault that I can't see you?"

I pondered that for a moment. It had crossed my mind before, of course, but I also knew it would be impossible for me to quit phasing. For one, I liked being a wolf too much. The strength, the speed… they were all too exhilarating to give up. And for two, my body was genetically imprinted to shape-shift since the vampires had stuck around. I probably added to this problem myself by hanging around them so much, but it's not like I was going to stop now.

"Never mind, Jake. Let's just enjoy the par-tay!" Alice chimed as we reached the front door and entered the house.

It was decorated like the scene from an elegant Christmas party for socialites. The Cullen's had gone all out, again. The enormous tree was decorated in silver and blue bows and ribbons. Ribbons and flowers graced every flat surface and hung from the ceiling. There was a low table with glasses of champagne and elegant looking appetizers.

I glanced to the piano and saw Rosalie playing fluidly, a small smile on her face as her small hands glided across the keys. She looked up at me for a moment, smirked and nodded to me. "Merry Christmas, dog", she mouthed to me. Ah, some things never change. "Merry Christmas, blondie," I replied.

Bella and Edward appeared then, with their arms around each other's waists, and hugged me hello. Carlisle and Esme were close behind, with Emmett and Jasper coming forward to punch my arm or slap my back. I heard the slight squeak of my dad's wheelchair and saw him come around the partition to shake my hand. I was taken slightly aback by the change of events of the past seven years. My father, at the vampire's Christmas Party. Amazing.

The living room was full of all my loved ones as well as people that had become my friends. I welcomed each guest as they came forward to say hello. There were probably close to a hundred people there. The Denali's came up to say hi and exchange greetings. I shook hands with Charlie's deputy and his wife before I found Rachel and Paul and hugged them hello.

Though I was thrilled to see everyone, the real person I was looking for, was Renesmee.

I moved into the kitchen then, to see who was in there. And there she was.

Nessie took my breath away. Of course, she was beautiful every day of her life, but the vision of her was so exquisite that I had to grab the countertop to stay upright. She wore a dark silver ensemble, not quite a dress, because it looked like two pieces. It was a lightweight shell with a matching thin sweater on top, and a lighter silver shimmery skirt on the bottom that hit just before her ankles. She wore her hair swept up off of her neck in a knot, and around her neck, she wore the necklace I had given her last Christmas.

At that moment, she looked up at me, and her smile lit up the room. My first dwindle of hope.

"Jake," she said softly. "It's so good to see you," she said genuinely.

"Oh, Ness, you too. I've missed you. So much, Nessie. You look beautiful," I stammered. I was trying to form meaningful sentences, but it just wasn't working.

She smiled at me again. "You look pretty handsome yourself. Look, Jacob. I know I've behaved unforgivably so. But I was wondering if I could talk to you, just us, later? Maybe after the party, or tomorrow or something. I have some things to discuss with you, but here at the party isn't really appropriate…" she trailed off, her eyes never leaving mine, as if she was trying to communicate to me with her gaze. It had been awhile since I'd been able to lose myself in the deep pools of her eyes. It took me a moment to respond to her.

"Of course Ness," I nearly coughed out, as I began breathing again. "Anything."

"Okay, thanks. I appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me. I have my own apologies for you, too. But like you said, later. Right now, let's enjoy the festivities," I told her with a grin, and grabbed her hand. She followed me out of the kitchen and we stopped just in the doorway, right behind my dad's wheelchair.

At that moment, I heard a shattering sound coming from the living room area, followed by a gasp. I flung myself around my dad to see what had happened. The site before me was one I wouldn't forget for a long, long time.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I'm so, so sorry for it taking so long to update this story. In all honesty, my head was swimming with many different possibilities that this story could take. I hope you enjoy the direction I've headed and I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for reading.**

The living room had become so quiet, you could hear a pin drop; I'm sure even all the vampires and werewolves in the house were surprised by that. No one appeared to move or breathe; they just stood there, taking in the sight before them.

But these things were not what stood at the forefront of my mind. At that moment, I was still holding Ness's hand, and together, it felt like our hands were on fire.

And it wasn't even just our hands. I felt _hot_, heat coursing and searing it's way though my entire body. I'd become accustomed to my own heat over the years, and Renesmee didn't run much cooler than I did. So how come it felt like every molecule in my body would explode from the electricity passing between us?

I shifted my gaze to her eyes, and I knew she could feel it too. She looked back at me with an awed expression; not frightened, but almost pleasantly surprised.

This all occurred in just a few seconds. My eyes turned unwillingly back to the living room.

Alice stood in the middle of the room, a blank, staring look on her face, but a slight smile on her lips. It gave me hope. At least what she was visioning couldn't be too horrible. But hadn't I heard a gasp? Maybe it hadn't come from Alice. Scattered at her feet were the appetizers and shards of the crystal plate that had held them.

Just then, another gasp. This time, from Edward.

"Hey, what's happened in here? Oh no! What a mess! Alice, honey, did you cut yourself? Carlisle, don't you have a first aid kit around here?" boomed Charlie as he entered the room.

This forced everyone into action. Alice and Edward bent down and began scooping up the ruined mini eggrolls. Esme appeared out of thin air with a broom and a dustpan and began sweeping the shards. Bella had her back to the front door at this point, a look of anticipation on her face, like she was expecting the enemy to come flying into the house at any moment. I saw Edward's lips move quickly, though he didn't look at Bella. She gazed towards him as he spoke quietly to her, so low that I couldn't hear. Whatever he said, seemed to relax her. Alice shot him a sideways glance as he finished his speech; apparently surprised by whatever he had told Bella. She lifted her eyebrows and smiled a bit.

This frustrated Renesmee, who stepped forward and dropped my hand then. The live wire in me abruptly halted. "Dad, what was that? I didn't catch…" she said, as low as she possibly could. Ness's senses were good, but being half human, still not as strong as the rest of the vampires. She hadn't picked up on what Edward had relayed to Bella, and I knew Ness didn't like feeling out of the loop.

Edward turned and mouthed something back to her. He had to say it high enough so that she could hear, but I could hear as well.

"Don't worry honey, everything is fine. I'll explain later," he said with a quick smile. I didn't miss that his eyes flickered to me for half a second before darting back to the mess on the floor.

Okay, now I was a little nervous. What did this have to do with me? And it did have something to do with me, or Edward wouldn't have shot me a glance in the seconds following the incident. Were they onto me? How much emotion did I let into my thoughts as Renesmee and I held hands and spoke our hushed conversation?

A thousand thoughts ran through my head. I'm sure if Edward was paying attention, he was having a bit of trouble keeping up at the fact that they weren't forming anything remotely coherent.

Meanwhile, none of the humans had any idea what had happened, it occurred so quickly and all of the explanations were below their hearing levels. All they saw was Alice drop the platter of food, Charlie's booming concern, and then everyone started cleaning up. The whispered conversations were beyond them.

"Well everyone, why don't we move to the dining room? The food is ready to be served!" Esme announced gleefully.

Leah and David arrived then, and I turned to welcome and say hello to them. I needed to distract myself and try not to worry so much.

All throughout the meal, I tried to catch Edward or Alice's gaze to see if I could relay my concern, but they were following the charade, being gracious hosts, visiting with everyone, laughing and having a great time. I needed to snap out of it, too. It was Christmas, and, since the object of Alice's vision didn't seem to be life-threatening, it could wait.

After everyone had finished eating, Edward moved to his piano and began playing Christmas carols. This delighted everyone, and, faster than should have been possible, Esme had all of the food cleared from the kitchen and dining room and a wide assortment of desserts had been set out in its place. Champagne and coffee flowed plentifully, and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

It was never announced, but since people naturally began gravitating towards the tree, it became clear that it would be time for presents soon. I was glad about that; what with all the mayhem of so many presents being opened, it would be another distraction from the inevitable that loomed.

I was nervous and anxious for Renesmee to come across my gift to her. It was difficult this year, to focus on a gift that was meaningful and reflected my feelings towards her, when she and I had become so distant as of late. Hopefully, depending on how our conversation went later, that was all a thing of the past.

I stood in the back of the living room, mostly observing instead of interacting, while Alice, Jasper, Esme, Kate, and Garrett acted as Santa and distributed gifts. I was glad I had come, despite the reservations I had initially felt after I'd revealed everything to Renesmee. This was my family now. As odd as it was, I loved all of these people, even though there were three different creatures and one hybrid that made up this party. Amazing, but this was my life.

I saw Kate pick up my gift for Renesmee, and I think my heart stopped as she called out, "To Renesmee, love Jake" and passed the gift to Garrett, who passed it to Carlisle, who handed it to Quil, who tossed it Savannah, and finally, it reached Ness. Would she like it? _Shut the thoughts off_, I thought to myself. _No worrying right now._

At that same moment, Paul handed me a thickly wrapped package. I read the gift tag quickly. "To Jacob, Love Renesmee" was neatly written in Ness's handwriting. The package was actually quite heavy, about the size of a manila envelope and as thick as a book. What the heck had she gotten me?

I glanced across the room at her, and caught her eye. She smiled and held up her gift, and I did the same. Sneaking glances at each other in the process, small smiles glued to our lips, we unwrapped each other's gifts.

Once I had the wrapping paper off, it took me a moment to realize what it was. It was an exquisite leather bound journal, with my initials engraved in the bottom right hand corner. I untied the leather cords and opened it up, to see a small note on the first page.

_Jacob,_

_Every writer needs a place to record their thoughts, hopes, and dreams. I wanted to give you the place where you could lose yourself in your own overworked head – and not have to worry about publishing deadlines or editing in the process. Your imagination has created your wonderful novels, now you can throw caution to the wind and concentrate on your innermost thoughts. I know they're in there._

_  
Merry Christmas, Jacob._

_Love,_

_Renesmee_

For a moment, I couldn't look up at her, as my throat swelled and hot tears stung the corners of my eyes. Good Lord. Her gift was perfect; she must have put a lot of thought into it.

I looked up across the room to Nessie and my heart stopped. She stood in the corner of the room, hunched over slightly, her arm wrapped her stomach. In her other hand, she still held he unopened present from me. She appeared to be in pain.

"Ness!" I called, and she looked quickly at me.

The next moment, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slumped to the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

I rushed over to Renesmee along with Edward and Bella, the only two other people standing near her to notice what had happened. Nessie was groaning in pain, clutching her stomach, and lowering her knees to the ground. By the time I got to her, she was breathing hard, grimacing and sucking in air as if she could not get enough.

Edward and Bella bent over her and I could not see her face for a moment.

"Let me see her!" I barked out at them.

I moved around Bella, nearly tripping on an extension cord, and crouched besides Ness's left shoulder.

"My…my stomach…something's wrong. I feel a sharp, stabbing pain," Nessie managed to get out.

"Carlisle!" Edward shouted.

Carlisle was next to us in two seconds flat.

"Get her upstairs, Edward," Carlisle said calmly, although his expression showed that he was panicking.

By this time, we had attracted enough attention that everyone had stopped what they were doing and crowded around us. I heard murmurs of "what's wrong?" "Is Nessie okay?" and once Charlie found out what was happening, he told everyone to stand back and give us room.

Edward easily and swiftly picked up Renesmee and carried her upstairs. Carlisle was ahead of him on the stairs and Bella and I nearly fought up the stairs, climbing over each other to get up there as quickly as possible.

We turned to the study/library area upstairs. I shuddered when I realized that it was the same room that Renesmee was born. The same room that Bella became a vampire. It was still set up like a mini emergency room. With Nessie being a hybrid creature, there was not any chance of the family taking her to a doctor at a clinic or hospital for human checkups. The room remained the family's medical ward in case of emergency and Carlisle kept it fully stocked.

There was a metal cart in the corner and Carlisle was over at it, picking up supplies. Edward set Renesmee on the exam table. She was still doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. Carlisle came to the exam table with a stethoscope and began an exam on Ness.

Edward, Bella, and I crowded around the table, squished against each other. Carlisle moved the shoulder of Ness's dress down to get a more accurate heart beat. I could see the tops of her breasts as she breathed heavily, trying to catch her bearings on the pain. I knew that I should probably turn my eyes away, to give her privacy and not embarrass her, but right then I was not leaving her side. Not with my beautiful angel in pain.

"Her heart rate is elevated, due to the pain. It is fast enough that I'd like to give her a small amount of morphine to relax her and ease the pain. But before that, let's complete the exam and find out what's wrong," Carlisle reported.

Carlisle eased Nessie on her back and she allowed her body to be flattened out normally instead of crouched together in a ball.

"Tell me where it hurts, baby," Carlisle said soothingly as he began pressing small circles on different areas of her belly.

"OWW! Right there!" screamed Nessie as Carlisle reached a point on the side of her lower belly, right above her hip.

"What type of pain does it feel like? Burning, shooting…" Carlisle prompted.

"It feels like someone is stabbing me!" Renesmee choked out. "What is it?"

"It's in the area of your reproductive organs. I'd like to do an ultrasound. We don't have that machine in the house though."

"It's nearly eleven o'clock a couple of nights before Christmas. We could sneak into the hospital right now Carlisle, and get this started," Edward pleaded. He couldn't stand to see Ness in pain any more than the rest of us.

"Let's do it. I'll drive her," said Carlisle.

"I'm not just going to sit home and wait around. I'm coming with you," Bella demanded.

"Same here. Everyone in this room is coming," I stated firmly. They knew they couldn't keep me away from Ness in a time like this. The very nature of imprinting is to protect the imprintee from harm. Not that I could protect her from something painful inside her, but I sure as hell wasn't going to leave her.

"Alright. We'll have to be discreet. I'll give her the morphine first so that she can begin to feel ease," Carlisle said. "We'll take the Mercedes, it will be the sleekest in the night. Edward and Jacob can sit with her in the back, Bella, you're up front with me."

Carlisle worked quickly, injecting Ness in her arm with the metallic looking needle that could pierce vampire skin. Within a few moments, she visibly relaxed, still making groaning noises from the pain, but no longer clutching her stomach. The others waited around to make sure she was comfortable before lifting her, while I walked downstairs to explain to our guests that we were heading to the hospital. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Esme and Charlie stood at the bottom of the stairs, anxious looks on all of their faces.

"We're taking her to the hospital. Something is wrong, a stabbing pain in her stomach. Carlisle wants to do an ultrasound. I came down to tell all of you. Bella, Edward, and I are going too. Where is everyone?" I asked.

"We went ahead and sent everyone home. It seemed like something was really wrong with her so the party is over until we get our girl feeling well again," Charlie said.

"Good. I know everyone loves and cares about Ness but she does not need everyone crowding around her right now. Hopefully this ultrasound will reveal what is going on so we can get her better," I said sadly. I hated that something was painful for Nessie.

Charlie strode up to me and slapped his hand on my shoulder. "Jake, I know you care very much for my girls, both of them. Nessie will be okay, we have to believe that."

Just then, Carlisle strode down the stairs, Edward following behind with a sleeping Nessie in his arms, Bella following close behind. Everyone gave Nessie a kiss or a pat, and then we were in the car.

Edward climbed into the back seat with Nessie, scooting her feet and legs across the seat. I opened the car door, lifted up her feet, and climbed into the seat as well. We both cradled our precious Renesmee, and she slept, somewhat fitfully, making small groaning noises and holding her stomach.

Carlisle sped to the hospital and used his access card to gain entrance to the hospital through a service door. We followed quietly behind and made sure the door shut behind us. He silently led the way to the ultrasound room, which was dark and abandoned. He flicked on some lights and powered up the machine. A flat panel television was on the upper wall near the ceiling, and that came to life too.

Edward set Nessie down on the exam bed and we all stood around her as she continued to sleep, though I doubt it was peaceful. Carlisle lifted up her shirt slightly and smeared a clear, jelly looking substance on her belly. He then used the wand and applied light pressure to her belly.

A grey, grainy image appeared on the television. It took me a second to realize that the ultrasound image was shown on the screen. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking at. Was it her stomach, bladder, what other organs did she possess that humans have? I realized I didn't know much about her anatomy, but then again, neither did anyone else. Carlisle ran tests on her when she was a baby, trying to document all of her vampire and human features, but I had no idea if he had ever done an ultrasound to see inside her abdomen before.

"Ahh, there is the source of the pain," Carlisle said resolutely. "See the cloudy area of the screen?"

Sure enough, Carlisle had focused on an area of Nessie's insides that showed an almost vapor like substance floating around in her belly. Underneath that, was a round, dark circle, with a thick, grey lining.

"It's an ovarian cyst. Well, at least it was. It burst. The cloudiness is the toxins from the cyst dissipating. Had we waited a couple of hours, we wouldn't have been able to see that. It would have already been absorbed into her blood stream," Carlisle explained.

"She has ovaries?" Bella asked in amazement.

"Yes. Looking here on the ultrasound, Renesmee has a complete female human reproductive system. I never thought to do an ultrasound when I studied her characteristics as a baby. It wouldn't surprise me if she could become pregnant one day."

We were all silent as we took in that news for a minute. It was amazing to think that our beloved half-vampire, half-human girl could conceive and carry a child someday.

"What caused the burst, Carlisle?" Edward asked.

"I'm not sure about that. Human women get them all the time, many do not even know they are there until they do burst or they struggle with some other symptom, such as heavy periods or infertility. Now that we know Renesmee is prone to them, I'd like to set a schedule of ultrasounds. She should probably have one every three months or so. That way we can try to catch one before it bursts and not wait until she is doubled over in pain like she was tonight," Carlisle responded.

We talked for a few minutes more, as Carlisle continued the ultrasound, checking over everything else and making sure he didn't spot any additional cysts. I stayed silent throughout the time we were in the room, watching Nessie sleep, and checking the TV as Carlisle moved the wand around. As he was wrapping things up, Bella rubbed her eyes, even though I knew she couldn't physically be sleepy. Edward noticed this and led her into the hallway.

"Jacob, why don't you join us?" Edward asked. Bella seemed a little surprised by this, and then her features turned to an expression of curiosity as she looked at me.

"I'm just going to shut everything down here. Let's head back to the house shortly," Carlisle told him.

Edward nodded.

I had a feeling that this conversation was about to turn to whatever secret that Edward knew, about the vision Alice had seen earlier this evening. I followed Edward and Bella into the hallway, and sat down across from them in the waiting room.


End file.
